The present invention relates to a laundry method that ensures that laundry remains aseptic or uncontaminated after washing.
The invention also relates to a barrier laundry installation for implementing the method.
The invention also relates to an apparatus for hermetically transferring the laundry that can be used in this type of barrier laundry installation.
The installation of the invention may be used in all situations where it is necessary to maintain the aseptic or non-contaminated status of laundry after washing. This situation is found particularly in hospitals, senior citizen accommodation, clean rooms, etc.
Laundries currently exist known as xe2x80x9cbarrierxe2x80x9d laundries in which washed laundry remains uncontaminated due to a leaktight barrier that separates a reception room, through which the soiled laundry enters, from an aseptic or clean room through which the washed laundry leaves. Special washing machines are used in laundries of this type. These washing machines are built into the barrier that separates the two rooms and they comprise at least one door, that gives onto the reception room, used to insert the soiled laundry and at least one door, that gives onto the clean room, used to extract the washed laundry.
These existing laundries are effective at ensuring that laundry that has just been washed remains uncontaminated. However, they require the use of specially designed washing machines that cost considerably more than standard machines with a single-door.
In order to overcome the drawback of these existing washing machines the present invention replaces the special two-door washing machines with ordinary single-door washing machines. These ordinary single-door washing machines are fitted in the barrier so as to be mobile, such that the single door of the washing machine may alternate between two positions: that in the reception room and that in the clean room. The washing machine may either be mounted on a revolving platform or onto a plate mounted on rails in order for the washing machine to be mobile.
In all cases, due to the mobility of the washing machine between the loading and unloading positions causes some of the outer surfaces of the washing machine to be subject to at least partial contamination in the clean room when the laundry is removed. The washed laundry can only remain uncontaminated providing the outer surfaces of the washing machine are at least partially decontaminated before the washing machine door changes position to be in the clean room. This over complicates installation and considerably lengthens operating time.
The invention relates to a method and the installation of a barrier laundry, enabling standard design single-door washing machines to be used that maintain washed laundry uncontaminated, that do not require any decontamination operations and that do not complicate handling procedures.
According to the invention, this is achieved by means of a barrier laundry process in which soiled laundry enters a reception room, is washed in at least one washing machine, and in which the washed laundry is then unloaded in an clean room. The clean room is separated from the reception room by a leaktight barrier. The process is characterized in that it comprises the following stages:
the soiled laundry is passed in at least one bag from the reception room to the clean room through at least one sealable opening provided in the barrier onto which the rim of the bag is hermetically connected, said bag being capable of opening automatically in the washing machine;
the opening and said bag are closed and said bag is disconnected from said opening;
the bag containing the soiled laundry is put into the washing machine, said washing machine being entirely installed in the clean room; and
the washing machine is set into operation such that it opens the bag and then washes the laundry contained in said bag.
This process may be implemented either by using bags that comprise at least one water-soluble component or by using bags that are capable of opening due to the mechanical action of the washing machine. In the first example, the bags can be closed using soluble ties, comprise a precut section that is closed using a soluble part; alternatively the bags may be totally soluble.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the rim of the bag is connected to a distortable frame that surrounds the inside of said sealable opening. At least one section of the circumference of the distortable frame is then fastened to a flexible section of the barrier. This flexible section enables the frame to vary between a closed position when no bag is connected to the frame and an open position that enables laundry to be put into the bag.
Advantageously, when the sealable opening is in the closed position the rim of the bag is connected to a frame comprising four rigid sections. The ends of these sections are hinged together to constitute a distortable quadrilateral frame that is capable of folding in on itself.
Preferably, the rim of the bag can be connected to the distortable frame by said rim being gripped against the outer surface of the frame.
The direction of the distortable frame may be more or less vertical, horizontal or sloped, according to requirements.
If the frame is sloped at least two distortable frames may be assembled onto the same revolving loader that is built into the barrier.
According to one improvement on the invention the bag containing soiled laundry is weighed before it is disconnected from the opening.
According to another improvement on the invention the bag is closed using heat welding.
The invention also relates to a barrier laundry that comprises a reception room and a clean room that are separated by a leaktight barrier as well as at least one washing machine, the laundry being characterized in that it also comprises:
means for hermetically transferring the washing, said means being fitted into the barrier and including at least one sealable opening;
bags that are capable of opening automatically in the washing machine;
means for connecting a rim of one of the bags to a rim of the sealable opening in the clean room, such that the connection is leaktight;
the washing machine being totally installed in the clean room and being capable of receiving at least one full bag of laundry and of washing said laundry once the bag opens.
The invention also relates to a device for hermetically transferring soiled laundry through a barrier that separates a reception room from a clean room, the device being characterized in that it comprises at least one distortable frame that surrounds a sealable opening and that, in the clean room, is provided with means for connecting a rim of one the bags that is capable of opening automatically in a washing machine in the clean room, said connection being leaktight.